On Audrey: Pink silk spaghetti strap top, Vivien Ramsay, Tropa Store; belt, Jun Escario, Greenbelt 5; tiered skirt, Robbie Santos.
Photographs byARTU NEPOMUCENO
Styled byMEG MANZANO assisted by SOPHIA BERBANO CONCORDIA
Produced byNICOLE LIMOS MORALESassisted byCHELSA GLORIA
Makeup byCLAIRE SEELIN DIOKNO
Hair byRICK DIOKNO
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Shot on location at HENRY HOTEL MANILA
It is 34 degrees Celsius and the sun is positioned high in the morning sky on the day of our cover shoot for July. Dozens of pairs of squinted eyes are fixed on the shoot’s subject—a statuesque Audrey Tan Zubiri, who seems unfazed by the overabundance of natural light, as she perches unquestioningly on a glossy Vespa.
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In between the change of ensembles, Audrey nonchalantly recalls how the last time she was on a bike was three years earlier, at the culmination of the 2016 election campaign season. While many wives claim they’ve figuratively jumped through hoops for their partners, Audrey has literally clambered onto the back of a motorcycle for hers.
As a devoted wife to Senator Miguel Zubiri, Audrey gamely attended three separate proclamation rallies around Metro Manila to represent her husband. To get from one rally to another, Audrey was transported via motorcycle from Manila to San Juan to Tondo. Since she was not used to riding a bike, she did a practice session the day before, with before and after pictures as proof of her improvement. Against the odds, she made it to all three events.
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Blazer, Joey Samson, Comme Ci, Power Plant; silk turtleneck, Jun Escario, Greenbelt 5
While she's set aside her short-lived motorcycle escapades, Audrey’s life continues to surprise her with other adventures. It’s a wonder how she is able to accomplish everything on her laundry list—from being a hands-on mother of three and running her household to managing various businesses.
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Growing up, Audrey recalls constantly tagging along with her parents, who worked as contractors. As an only child, she crafted a strong bond with both her mother and father, traveling to construction sites in Albay and spending summers and Christmas breaks in her mother’s province of La Union, where she picked up Ilocano. “It was a happy childhood,” she says. “My parents were strict but I’m very thankful for the childhood they gave me.”
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Yellow lace top, Vivien Ramsay, Tropa Store; feathered skirt, Patty Ang, Power Plant; long sleeves, Jun Escario, Greenbelt 5; heels, Charles & Keith, Power Plant
Throughout her earlier years, Audrey spent some time in the public eye. She immersed herself in theater, and at the age of 10, shared the role of Little Cosette in Les Miserables with T&C May cover girl Cris Villonco. Moving into her teens, she dabbled in modeling and shot a few television commercials and campaigns. In her college years, she hosted a segment on local music channel Studio 23.
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When Audrey met her would-be husband two decades ago, she was still in college, while he already held a seat in the House of Representatives.
When the pair started dating in 2002, Audrey first started entertaining the possibility of becoming a political wife.
Since they were married in 2005, the couple has conquered one local and three national campaigns together. At this point, Audrey admits to being “quite comfortable” with doing out of the ordinary efforts for husband’s political career. “I think that when you believe in someone, it’s easy to get involved,” she says. “You get inspired to help and to do whatever you can for them to achieve their dreams for the country.”
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Lavender dress, Patty Ang, Power Plant; sheer organza overcoat, Robbie Santos; belt, Jun Escario, Greenbelt 5
Audrey shamelessly admits to harboring a crush on Miguel before they became an item. Back then, she was incredulous at his advances. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, why is he talking to me?’ and when we met, he was with all his friends and before the night ended, he had already asked me out on two dates.”
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But their 14-year age difference made Audrey's mother uncomfortable. To woo her, Miguel called her and directly asked for permission to take her daughter on a date. The first three dates came with conditions: It had to be a group date, she was to be informed of the plans ahead of time, and Audrey had to be home by 10:30 p.m. By the end of the third date, Audrey's mother had decided the couple had gone on enough dates already, and Audrey remembers telling Miguel she couldn’t go out with him anymore. Persistently, Miguel instead paid visits to her family home. “He really made the effort to get to know my family,” she says, “After that, we would go on dates with my mom and she would chaperone our dates for about a year.”
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While Audrey shares she loves her husband’s passion for the country, it’s his sense of humor that won her over. “Bentang benta pa siya sa akin,” she says of her husband’s jokes.
More: Watch Audrey Zubiri Walk Into Her Surprise Party While Wearing Curlers
“He also has a very good heart, he’s very compassionate and he’s got a lot of dreams. I always enjoy it when he talks about his dreams. He doesn’t just think and talk about it, he really works towards it.”
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Blush silk jumpsuit, Jun Escario; wrap top worn as skirt, Joey Samson, Comme Ci, Power Plant
Two years after their first date, Miguel asked for Audrey's hand in marriage during a trip to Amanpulo. She was just 21 years old. What followed was a long engagement, half of which—about a year’s time—was spent with her living in Spain, as she pursued a special program in communications. In 2005, they finally wed. To make up for the long wait, they hosted two receptions: the first was an indigenous ceremony in the groom’s hometown of Bukidnon, and the second, a traditional Catholic wedding in Tagaytay.
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This year, they celebrate 14 years of marriage and almost 18 years together. “We’ve been through a number of challenges but fortunately those challenges have always been outside of our marriage, not within, and you can work on those challenges as a team and it makes you stronger when you work together,” says Audrey.
As for her career, Audrey eventually followed in her parents’ footsteps and went into construction. In one instance, as she and her mother built a house, they embarked on a trip abroad in search of the perfect furniture to fill it with. Several Italian brands caught their attention and they were quick to bring back the pieces they fancied to the Philippines. When one of their clients marveled at the finished product and asked if they could not only build her house, but furnish it too, the mother and daughter duo decided to distribute some of those furniture brands in the Philippines. Together, they manage Designa Italia, a luxury home store in Greenbelt that turns three this month.
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Last year, in attempt to create a sustainable project of her own, Audrey established an all-female social enterprise. She calls it the Inclusive Livelihood Assistance Benefits for All of You, or I LABA U for short. Located at a Gawad Kalinga site, the growing laundry service is run by the women of the area, with Audrey providing them with the equipment and materials they need to get ahead. It’s a way for mothers and other women in the community to become financially independent without having to journey far from home. “It’s livelihood assistance because they’re the ones running it. They’re earning from it and I’d like to take it further and have more women and see how far we can go,” she adds, “But I’m happy with it and I think the women are as well.”
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Blush silk jumpsuit, Jun Escario; wrap top worn as skirt, Joey Samson, Comme Ci, Power Plant
While her husband creates change in the country through his senatorial post, Audrey has been making her own mark as an officer of the Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. The non-profit organization brings the husbands and wives of senators together, regardless of political parties, with the common goal to work towards their own chosen causes. Despite the political nature of their group, the foundation’s members remain apolitical and have collaborated on projects that have benefited the dilapidated children’s ward of Philippine General Hospital and the rehabilitation of home for the elderly Tahanang Mapagpala ng Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, among other beneficiaries.
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Business, politics, and hardhat aside, Audrey dedicates a large portion of her daily life to rearing her three children: Adriana, 11, who is a spitting image of her husband; Juan Miguel or Juanmi, 9, who inherited his mother’s physical features and personality traits; and Santiago or Santi, 4, who is the couple’s “missing link.”
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Audrey is bent on bestowing her children with the same joyful opportunities she experienced from her own parents. “My mom was also very busy working but she made sure that they had dinner with me every night,” she says. She practices that activity with her own children, and, like her mother, instills in them strong faith and value formation. “They need to have something to hold on to no matter how bad things go; something that can never be taken away from them,” she says, “If they have a healthy dose of faith and religious values, they’ll be okay.” Like all other parents, Audrey gets her children ready for school, helps them with homework, and tucks them in at night.
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PHOTO: ARTU NEPOMUCENO
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Her musings as a mother are documented in a column for the lifestyle section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“I heard this woman once say that a child has 100 friends in school, but she only has one mother, so [mothers] should do their jobs as parents now while children need their parents,” she says, “When they’ve become adults and don’t need to be parented, that’s when they’ll become their parents’ friends because you’ve done your job properly. I hope this holds true because I see it in my mom.”
In between the surges of her busy life, we catch a glimpse of a woman of virtue, who carries out an existence rooted in the service of her clients, of her family, of her community, and of anyone else she comes in contact with.
She mentions she and her family are in the process of moving to a new home—one that she and her husband are building from scratch and in their own preferences. In some ways, this is a poignant reflection of Audrey’s own life and her unique ability to make any house a home.
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